Frode Thomassen (Bodo/Glimt CEO): “Our climate is a weapon. Inter, Roma and Napoli – the Italian teams respect us now. Sjøvold will be a star.”
The Norwegian club’s CEO has explained the project that is turning Bodo into a major force in Europe.
Six years ago, few would have called Bodo/Glimt a major force in European football. Now the Norwegian club's project commands respect from everyone, and they are preparing for another European night against Italian opposition, this time Napoli in the Champions League league phase.
Bodo/Glimt CEO Frode Thomassen discussed the club's project at a roundtable with several Italian media outlets. Here are his answers on the secret behind the club's relationship with its players, the new stadium and their next big prospect.
Bjorn Mannsverk and the F-16 pilots for the group’s turnaround
"Our players were really good in practice and training, but they had some problems in matches. The team manager at the time (who is now the sporting director, editor's note) happened to have friends who worked with F-16 fighter pilots in Bodø, including Bjørn Mannsverk.
We brought Bjørn in to start working with one or two players, which had a positive effect. Word spread around the dressing room, more players began working with him and eventually we turned it into a system. I call him a 'culture builder' rather than a mental coach, because this club is strongly focused on our people's mindset, our values and our way of working.
Around 2020 and 2021, we established a strategy in which we explicitly stopped working towards goals and results, focusing instead entirely on performances, our thoughts and how we approach challenges."
10 captains in the squad
"We also have 10 captains in the squad who decide among themselves who will be the captain for specific matches, such as our upcoming game against Napoli. We communicate directly and focus on a shared mindset, culture and values throughout the club. I don’t yet know who it will be against Napoli; they’ll decide."
Project cannot be replicated in Italy
"A replicable project? Our strategic plan is called 'Our Way' (Our Way, editor's note.). Every club must understand its own unique context. Bodø/Glimt are located north of the Arctic Circle, a 10-hour drive from the nearest city to the north and a 10-hour drive from the nearest major city to the south. Bodø is a small fishing village with just 43,000 people. For us, football is about passion and improving our performances every single day. You have to go to work as a player, coach or CEO and put all your effort into being better tomorrow than you are today.
That constant drive to improve our practices step by step is the simplest way to explain our success over the past six years, during which we have gone from the Conference League to the Europa League and finally to qualifying for the Champions League. It requires cohesion, loyalty to that way of thinking and high standards, something that can be achieved anywhere in the world if you can get the whole group communicating and thinking in the same way."
The climate is a weapon
"Bodø is indeed a special place and, although we are building a new stadium for next autumn, we know that visiting teams face challenges here. You have to accept the conditions you encounter. We know the environment in which we play.
Big teams like Roma or others who come here sometimes do not adapt; they may not train on the pitch the day before or complain about the artificial turf. Modern artificial turf is actually very good, but teams struggle if they do not prepare properly.
We try to mitigate the disadvantages of away games by travelling two days in advance and bringing our chef to control our environment, as we did when we travelled to Napoli in recent days. Every good team should be able to accept and adapt to the environment in which they play."
Champions? We have no limits
"I don't think we have any limits. Our resources are growing alongside our good performances. One previous limitation was our arena, but we are building a new one for 2027. The reality is that the biggest clubs in the top five leagues have vast financial resources, so we cannot compete with them financially. However, our journey is not about money; it is about passion, the way we train and the effort we put in. If you approach challenges with the right mentality, even against huge clubs, you can still perform magnificently and pick up points.
If you can keep the players, if you can keep the coaches and you keep working and improving, then... if you think there is a limit to how far you can go, a club like ours might as well shut up shop!
Last year, we were so close to reaching the Champions League quarter-finals. I think five years ago someone would have said that something like that was impossible for a club like ours. So why shouldn't it be possible to reach the quarter-finals? And if you reach the quarter-finals, with hard work you can reach the semi-finals. And by working even harder, with a bit of luck, you could even reach the Champions League final"
The players: who is ready for a top club?
"Who is big-club material? I hope many of them! I hope they love working and playing at Bodø/Glimt, because we are a family club, and the way we stick together and achieve our goals means a lot to our players.
In recent months, Fredrik Sjøvold, our right-back (whom people do not write much about or notice much), was called up to the national team during the last international break. He is developing a great deal and I think he will go far. But of course there are also Patrick, Jens Petter Hauge (whom you know well from Italy), Fredrik Bjørkan... we have many top-level players at the moment. But mark my words: Fredrik Sjøvold will be a shining star in a few years."
Napoli and respect for Italian clubs
"Going to Naples, we know that, individually, we will probably face players who are better than ours. But we have to be a strong team, believe in the way we play and in how we work together. We hope to perform at a level that makes us competitive against Napoli.
I think we have achieved something important and played well against Italian clubs, but I do not think clubs fear us. We have reached a point in our club's history where the teams we face respect us. I do not think a club like Napoli fear us, but they will probably respect us and prepare well.
In the early years, people simply thought: 'Where is Bodø? What kind of club is this?' Over the last six years, I think people working in football have come to know our club and the way we play. They are an excellent team with excellent individual players, and if they do not prepare properly, we have a chance to put in a good performance and take home some points. But I fully expect Napoli to be well prepared for the match."
